Many Route 66ers are now familiar with Randy Newman‘s song “Our Town,” which was sung by James Taylor and featured in a moving scene of the Disney-Pixar movie “Cars.” It encapsulates the history of small towns along Route 66 in about four minutes. You can hear a sample of the song on this Web page.
There’s another song called “Our Town,” written and performed by country-folk singer Iris DeMent back in 1993. Tonight, I found the video for it on YouTube.
The video’s setting may or may not occur on Route 66, but it’s no less bittersweet than what happened to those towns when the interstates bypassed them.
I really like this song and video with Iris – I saw it in the UK with aguy from the old grey whistle Bob something played it with the video..totally great and i AM NOT A COUNTRY FAN.
Regards UK Browser
The other night I created a three song play list on remembering using three songs I remember everything (John Prine), This Song (George Harrison) and I included Iris Dement’s Our Town. I wasn’t aware of Randy Newman’s Our Town or James Taylor’s performance of the song so I will check that out. One thing I found by accident when reading about Pulitzer Prize winning pianist and composer Mel Powell was that Mel’s wife Martha Scott had an Oscar nominated performance in the 1940s film Our Town. It turns out Martha had a strong, core affection and never forgot her Jamesport, Missouri hometown. This really is leading somewhere. Martha Scott said that her hometown and especially the Jamesport Cemetery where her family rests was an image she used for inspiration when she performed as Emily Webb in the noted cemetery scene in both the famous play and film. One thing that stands out in Iris Dement’s song is her mention of a cemetery in her song Our Town. “I buried my Mama and I buried my Pa They sleep up the street beside that pretty brick wall, I bring them flowers about every day But I just gotta cry when I think what they’d say.” I wonder if Iris’ reflective lyrics and the theme of the Our Town play and film in some way influenced the song?
Mike, according to her Wiki page, Iris was inspired to write “Our Town” after driving through a boarded-up city in the Midwest when she was 25. It was her first song, and the lyrics came to her quickly with very little rewriting. That was when she realized songwriting was her calling. The play never was mentioned.